Credit: The Associated Press

Maryland's Dez Wells (32) drives past Iowa's Melsahn Basabe, right, and Eric May, left, during the first half of an NIT semifinal basketball game Tuesday, April 2, 2013, in New York.

NEW YORK — Devyn Marble and Iowa could get used to these fast starts.

Marble had 21 points and nine rebounds to help Iowa, whose slow start to the Big Ten season kept them from the NCAA tournament, reach the National Invitation Tournament championship for the first with a 71-60 win over Maryland on Tuesday night.

"I thought one of the keys to the game was how we came out," Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. "We got into a flow early, and then the same thing late, kept everything going."